Bonnie Kelly has always loved dogs. But it wasn’t until she met brown and white springer spaniel Denver, that she realised just how good a companion man’s best friend can actually be.

For Bonnie, 60, is deaf. And although she has always gone out of her way to integrate in everyday society, her world she says, has opened up enormously thanks to Denver.

Seven-year-old Denver is a hearing dog and was given to Bonnie by the charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.

Expertly trained, he is able to help Bonnie with everyday tasks such as alerting her to telephone calls and the doorbell and could even save her life by alerting her to the sound of her smoke alarm.

The loveable canine has become Bonnie’s ears and accompanies her wherever she goes. He even follows her on to the tennis courts at Ilkley where he has learnt to fight the impulse to ‘fetch’ and simply sits patiently watching her play.

But the role that Denver has played in Bonnie’s life goes far beyond the normal call of duty.

For merely walking him in and around town complete with his trademark ‘work’ uniform – which states that he is a hearing dog – has introduced Bonnie to a host of experiences to which she would otherwise have limited access.

She said: “He’s amazing. He really is my best friend. Without him life would be much, much duller. He’s been incredible.”

Bonnie, of Ilkley, first met Denver seven years ago after a chance meeting with another deaf woman at Crufts dog show.

She said: “I had a dog before which I loved but he was just a standard pet. I was waiting in a queue for a toilet and noticed this dog in front of me wearing a uniform.

“I had never heard of hearing dogs but I asked the lady about it and she told me how useful it was. I decided it would be good for me too and tried to find out more about it.”

Bonnie got in touch with the Hearing Dogs organisation who interviewed her to see whether she would be a suitable candidate for one of their dogs.

She was given a hearing test to establish how bad her hearing was and was interviewed for several hours to find out whether she was active enough and able to cope with a dog.

She then received a letter with a picture of Denver, telling her she had been accepted into the scheme.

She said: “I was delighted. It was like love at first sight. The minute I saw Denver I was over the moon about having him.”

Before Denver actually settled in to his new home he underwent months of training.

Bonnie explained: “He had to be trained to recognise my doorbell and alert me to the sound as well as my telephone, smoke alarm, etc.

“Then we had to make sure that he would respond to me and not just to his trainer. So I had to sit with a squeaker and give him treats when he followed orders correctly. He was quick to learn and before too long came to live with me.”

Since then, Denver has transformed Bonnie’s world.

She has found a job, volunteering at a local charity shop, gone on train trips on her own to London and even met with royalty – all because of Denver.

She said: “My husband has had Parkinson’s disease for several years and can require assistance throughout the day and night.

“Denver has been invaluable in fetching me via the ‘call’ command. At first Ron would ask him to come and get me in the night if he was struggling. But Denver is so perceptive that now, as soon as he hears Ron struggling to move, he wakes me up by putting his paws on the bed and I know I am needed.

“This can happen several times a night and Denver always responds. He’s incredible.”

Bonnie’s deafness was discovered when she was just four years old when her mother realised she was no longer responding to her voice. The cause remains unknown but Bonnie says the condition affected most of her life. She said: “I wanted to go to university and have a career but there was very little advice available to me once I had done my A levels.

“I trained to be a medical laboratory technician and worked all over before having my two daughters.

“Looking back, motherhood was difficult at first because I never knew if my baby was crying and had to be super-organised all the time. But if I had had Denver with me everything would have been so much easier. I know he would have been the perfect parent!

“What has really frustrated me over the years is missing out on conversations that flow quickly. I miss the jokes and the repartee and I really enjoy having a laugh but sometimes find I miss the punch-line. By the time it is said twice something gets lost along the way – it can be annoying.

“But through Denver I have met so many people. One day I had a whole conversation with a couple who thought I was training Denver and didn’t actually realise that I was deaf. He comes everywhere with me, weddings, funerals, christenings, theatre and on days out and is always a subject for conversation.

“He even comes into my work where he sits patiently and laps up attention from customers.”

In fact Denver is such a socialite that he has mixed with a number of stars including tennis players Bjorn Borg and Pat Cash. He has even met Princess Anne.

Bonnie said: “I went to a tournament where we met Bjorn Borg and Pat Cash. Bjorn was very nice but had just been bitten by a dog at the time. He really took to Denver though.

“Then I was asked to attend an event where Denver and I met Princess Anne. She seemed really impressed with how wonderful he was!

“Most people in Ilkley know who Denver is and most shopkeepers have been really welcoming. I feel so much safer with him around and he is wonderful company. He can be such an icebreaker with new people – he’s amazing.”

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People provides a national service and no charge is made to recipients of the dogs. Since it started in 1982 the organisation has placed more than 1500 hearing dogs across the country.

Such is its success that dogs are now being given to children and young people with hearing difficulties.

Bonnie said: “I think they are a fantastic idea for children. When I was little I often felt isolated at school because I was unable to hear what was going on. I never won any races because I didn’t know when it was time to start.

“But Denver would have taken care of all that for me.”

The organisation has two centres operating in the UK – Buckinghamshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire.